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Accidents · NTSB ERA22LA089 · Final report

Cirrus Design CORP SR22 accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, December 16, 2021

On December 16, 2021 at about 3:07 pm local time, a 2007 Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N162AM, was destroyed in an accident during landing near Knoxville, Tennessee (Mc Ghee Tyson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot’s encounter with a wake vortex from a preceding airplane, which resulted in a roll upset at an altitude too low for recovery. Contributing to the accident was the failure of ATC to issue a wake turbulence cautionary advisory.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
December 16, 2021 · about 3:07 pm local time
Place
Knoxville, Tennessee · Mc Ghee Tyson · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cirrus Design CORP SR22, built 2007
Registration
N162AM · no longer on the register · serial 2724
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

According to the pilot, the event occurred on final approach when the airplane encountered wake turbulence from a landing Airbus A320. The pilot reported feeling a sudden bump, leading to an extreme roll of approximately 135°. The pilot instinctively applied corrective control inputs and commanded the pilot-rated passenger to pull the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The passenger reached for the handle and pulled it just as they reached a near-level wing attitude with the nose pitched down. The pilot felt the deceleration of the parachute for a couple of seconds before they impacted the ground. A postimpact fire ensued and both occupants evacuated the aircraft. The pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger received fatal injuries. A review of Air Traffic Control (ATC) communications revealed that all instructions and advisories were acknowledged by the flight crew of the Airbus and the pilot of the Cirrus as appropriate; however, ATC failed to provide a wake turbulence cautionary advisory to the pilot of the Cirrus as required by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order JO 7110.65Z, Air Traffic Control, for simultaneous same runway operations involving a small aircraft landing behind a large aircraft. Although the pilot was aware of the preceding Airbus, the very purpose of this advisory is to remind and emphasize to pilots the potential for dangerous wake encounters.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

What happened, in order

  1. Loss of control in flight during landing
  2. Aircraft wake turb encounter during landing defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Wake turbulence › Effect on operation
  • Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › Lack of communication › ATC personnel
  • Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Attain/maintain not possible
  • Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot

Pilot-Rated Passenger

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: fatal

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 75 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: serious injuries

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental IO-550-N (piston); 0 hours total
  • Fire on the ground

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 23L, 9,000 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,300 ft
  • Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
  • Observation at 10:07 am from TYS, 6 miles away

Weather report (METAR): SPECI KTYS 161507Z 00000KT 10SM FEW043 BKN250 10/06 A3025 RMK AO2 T01000056=

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew11

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

18 documents, released by the NTSB on February 8, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

#DocumentWhat it is
1 Pilot's Statement PDF, 23 pages · our copy View Download
2 Video File Mor PDF, 1 page · our copy View Download
3 Construction Site Camera Video video · our copy View Download
4 Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 PDF, 11 pages · our copy View Download
5 Witness Statements PDF, 8 pages · our copy View Download
6 FAA Statement Mor PDF, 2 pages · our copy View Download
7 Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation Cirrus PDF, 9 pages · our copy View Download
8 Cockpit Displays - Recorded Flight Data - Specialist's Factual Report PDF, 19 pages · our copy View Download
9 Attachment 1 to Cockpit Displays - Recorded Flight Data - Specialist's Factual Report data file · our copy Download
10 Attachment 2 to Cockpit Displays - Recorded Flight Data - Specialist's Factual Report data file · our copy Download
11 Medical Factual Memorandum for Record PDF, 3 pages · our copy View Download
12 Evidence Control Form PDF, 5 pages · our copy View Download
13 Investigative Photos PDF, 6 pages · our copy View Download
14 ATC - Attachment 1 - ADS-B Data - N162AM Only spreadsheet · our copy Download
15 ATC - Attachment 2 - Opsvue Track Data zip file · our copy Download
16 ATC - Attachment 3 - ATC Audio Recording - Tys Lc audio View Download
17 ATC - Attachment 4 - FAA Aircraft Accident Package PDF, 43 pages · our copy View Download
18 FAA Air Traffic Control Order Jo 7110.65Z PDF, 633 pages · our copy View Download

The same docket at the NTSB.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.